OHIO ST: Ohio State will be very different looking this year, without Jared Sullinger and William Buford, but Thad Matta's Buckeyes should still be able to hang with the best of the best in the nation. Deshaun Thomas (15.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG) is a threat both on the perimeter and in the post from the forward position and he should benefit from more opportunities. Point guard Aaron Craft (8.8 PPG, 4.6 APG, 2.5 SPG) may be the best pure point guard in the Big Ten, and there's no doubt he should be able to improve now as an upperclassman. The Buckeyes missed out on a number of top recruits, but this veteran-led squad should still be dangerous, especially if Lenzelle Smith Jr. (6.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG) takes the necessary steps forward in his junior campaign.

PENN ST: The Nittany Lions may be looking forward to the hardwood to distract from the football turmoil of the last year, but Patrick Chambers' crew will have a difficult time improving on last year's rough 4-14 record in the conference. The good news is they still have star point guard Tim Frazier (18.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.2 APG, 2.4 SPG) who is a workhorse on the perimeter, leading Penn State in points, rebounds, assists and steals last season. Jermaine Marshall (10.8 PPG) and Southern Miss transfer D.J. Newbill complete a strong backcourt, but PSU will be overmatched down low on a nightly basis.

Ohio State wasn't exactly thrilled with how it played in its latest game, needing to hold on at the end after blowing most of a 24-point lead.

It hasn't had much to complain about for nearly a decade when it's faced Penn State.

The 14th-ranked Buckeyes head to Happy Valley on Saturday looking for their 18th straight win against the Nittany Lions, who are still searching for their first Big Ten victory.

Ohio State (14-4, 4-2) had scored 56 points or fewer in three of its last four games heading into Iowa's visit to Columbus on Tuesday, but it seemed well on its way to an easy win up 24 with less than 13 minutes remaining.

But an eight-minute stretch without a field goal made things interesting, and the Buckeyes' lead was cut to four before they held on to win 72-63.

"We have been this way before in terms of searching for an identity," coach Thad Matta said. "I have been in games like this before, where we have our moments. We are searching for consistence. I'll take consistency over greatness."

Matta's team has been consistently great versus Penn State (8-11, 0-7) since even before his arrival in Columbus in 2004. The Buckeyes' last 16 victories against the Nittany Lions have come with Matta at the helm, though, and they've won the last three by an average of 18.7 points.

The Big Ten's lone winless team has lost its last 11 games against ranked opponents after Wednesday's 72-49 defeat at No. 7 Indiana. Penn State shot 33.3 percent against the Hoosiers and is shooting 34.5 percent - 24.0 from 3-point range - in its last six contests.

"It might not show it on the scoreboard, but I thought we did everything we could do in our ability," coach Patrick Chambers said.

Like most of Ohio State's opponents, Penn State's primary concern will likely be trying to contain Deshaun Thomas.

The Big Ten's scoring leader was held under 20 points for the first time in six games against Iowa (16), but he's added some impressive range to his game lately. Thomas is 15 of 30 from 3-point range over his last four contests, giving a big boost to a Buckeyes team that's 12-1 when it hits at least 30 percent from beyond the arc.

Ohio State's biggest issue has been finding a consistent second scorer, and Lenzelle Smith Jr.'s recent performances have left plenty of questions about whether he can assume that title. The junior guard averaged 11.6 points on 47.1 percent shooting in his first 13 games, but has averaged 6.4 points while shooting 32.4 percent in his last five.

With few other options, they're also trying to do too much. Marshall and Newbill are averaging a combined 7.1 turnovers and 5.9 assists in league play, and they gave it away 11 times against the Hoosiers.

Led by Aaron Craft, Ohio State's 1.29 assist-to-turnover ratio is one of the nation's best, while Penn State's 0.68 mark is among the worst.